


How to Grow Roses (Llamada de emergencia)

by penmedown (Acnara)



Category: Original Work, Rol Legendario, ibaria rol
Genre: College AU, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Modern AU, Teacher-Student Relationship, not really since Erasmo is head of departament and not actually Ren´s teacher but still
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2020-01-01 06:18:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18330326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Acnara/pseuds/penmedown
Summary: Erasmo has the perfect plan to break his brother´s new relationship. And, of course, it involves Larios´s ex.Ren just really wants to pass physics.-“So, I decided that you and I are going to pretend to be dating, and you are going to come to my family's Independence Day party.”He said it so casually Ren didn't even think anything of it at first. When the idea finally got to him, he choked on air.“You and I what?!”





	How to Grow Roses (Llamada de emergencia)

**Author's Note:**

> Maybe posting it will make me actually finish this story. You know, peer pressure.

“Wait, so you failed? Again?”

“Yeah, rub it in, why won't you?”

The warm summer air filled the room, afternoon light bathing the small student flat in shades of yellow and orange. The days were getting longer now, and while the room was getting chilly Ren was walking around barefoot. He was running late, and Ehrenda was going to kill him if he let her hanging yet again on a friday night. He almost tripped with a pair of sneakers, and send them under the bed with a kick. They crashed with something, and Ren could only hope nothing had broke.

The voice coming from his laptop, innocently sitting on his desk over a mountain of papers and books, broke the silence.

“Well, Galeano is not gonna be pleased about that. And put some pants on, Öllüm gratuitous.”

Ren turned around to find the redhead girl staring at him with way less heat than her voice had made him believe. He was too far away to actually see himself in the small Skype screen, but it was obvious that he had gotten far enough to show that he was indeed in his underwear and had been so for the last half an hour.

“What do you think I'm doing?” He picked up the pair of jeans he had been looking for from under the pile of clothes that still needed to be washed from last week with a cheer, ignoring the sight behind him. “And let's be honest here Pei, is Galeano  _ ever _ truly happy about anything?” 

Pei's face turned, trying to remain the stoic voice of reason in his life she had always loved to be. Her new dark red hair was good look on her, Ren decided. It crashed a bit with her dark skin, but it looked way nicer than the awful, neon yellow she had insisted on wearing for the last few months. Sometimes Ren thought that leaving Tentudia had really been a mistake: now the whole town was exposed to Pei's god awful sense of personal style. He had always been able to redirect her impulsive, self destructive fashion choices into harmeles decisions, but now there was no one to stop her when she got into a supermarket with sales on the hair styling section. He had three emails from her mom asking for help in his inbox. 

“You know what I meant.” She gave him a look. “I thought you said you had it under control.”

“Yeah well, I say that a lot. How's Gertru?”

If looks could kill Ren was sure he would be dead by now. Pei was about to speak — _ don't go changing subjects on me, Aedus, and if you want to know about Gertru you can also visit some time, _ Ren could already hear it before she even opened her mouth— but blissfully, his phone started to vibrate as if alive.

He threw himself on the small bed with Pei's voice drowning in the background, talking about how he needed to focus on his studies instead of jumping from party to party, and spent his money wisely. He took the phone, waiting to find a list of messages from Ehrenda or maybe Ehmei. He would even have accepted Theoden texting him to move his ass since he was already late. Anything really, if that meant cutting Pei off before she started getting pissed about his lack of visits again. He had to check twice the screen on his hand. 

Really?  _ Again? _

Ren let the phone fall from his hands with a groan, and go figure, that happened to catch Pei's attention.

“Uhm? What was that?”

He rubbed his face, just in time see how his phone screen light up again.

“Oh, come on!” He stood up, hands on the air. “This number has been calling me all morning, I swear to fucking Öllüm I'm gonna kill them.”

Pei's face looked confused for a second before she snapped out of it with a laugh.

“Well, why won't you take it then?”

“I did! The second time, I answered it, and they hung up on me! This is getting  _ real _ old  _ real quick.” _ He all but screamed at the phone, where the calling animation continued happily.

“Okay, just block the number then. So they can't call you anymore, you know?”

“Do I look like I know how to do that?”

They both exhaled at the same time, for very different reasons. The subtle light coming from the computer blinked,  the internet connection being its usual bitchy self in the student dorms. Ren let the phone ring, still muttering between his teeth, and started getting his things together. Pants up here, his favorite boots there, the wallet —very important. 

When he thought whoever was calling had finally given up, it started again. And then, again.

“Ren, just answer it.” Pei was looking just as annoyed as he felt, her dark eyes bright with near murderous intent. “And if it's a prank you put  _ me  _ on the speaker.”

Ren thought about refusing. He was really not in the mood for Pei screaming to a silent stranger when he was already late, but she seemed too determined to refuse her. With a last look at his hair in the mirror he picked up the phone and answered, not expecting an answer.

“What the fuck do you want now, stalker?” he said, one hand on the phone and the other blindly searching for his jacket, Pei's eyes never leaving him.

The other end of the line was silent, and Ren must have made a face because Pei almost visibly squared up, the storm in her eyes growing by the second. He was ready to let her take the speaker and just leave the room while she screamed, when the tiniest sound came from the line.

“... Stalker?” 

It startled Ren, almost making him loose his balance. He didn't recognize the voice. It sounded male, maybe, but it had been so low he had almost missed it. But, whoever it was, it hadn't hung up yet. Ren could hear them breath in his ear.

“ Uhm, yeah.” Was all he could say, blinking in astonishment. “That's how I saved your number after the fourth time you fucking called me.”

Pei jolted, and sent him a clear  _ what is going on _ look. Ren wished he could answer her, but just sent her a confused look and shoulder shrug back.

“Well that's… Yes, this has been quite an unfortunate situation, my apologies if I have been too aggressive.” The voice said, and that was definitely a dude. He signed the information back to Pei, who was looking more and more suspicious.  “I didn't mean to be a disturb you, but you weren't answering, so I decided to insist.”

Okay, a kinda preppy dude. Pei rolled her eyes and asked him to turn the speaker on, but he knew better than that. Pei was not getting anywhere near his phone with that look in her eyes.

“Yeh, I saw that. So? You wanna tell me why you just had to  _ disturb me _ ?”

There was a sound on the other side, like a dragged out sight mixed with someone talking under their breath. That right there did ring a bell. He had heard that before, but wasn’t sure where. 

“Look… Okay, I'm Erasmo. I guess you have already seen the gr–”

“Who?”

“–ades for the…” the voice cut mid sentence. “Excuse me, what?”

“Who are you again?” Pei was furiously signaling him now, and just for good measure, knowing she wasn't above starting to scream to get his attention, Ren carefully muted the laptop.

“I'm Erasmo Rosé.” 

“Come again?” Pei was talking now, her lips moving furiously as she found out Ren had muted her. He waved at her, half looking for his keys and praying Ehrenda wouldn't decide to get up to his dorm to drag him out in the middle of the conversation.

He looked through the window but couldn't see her. That's didn't mean she wasn't close, though. That girl was like a ninja.

“Rosé? The coordinator of the physics subject? Larios’ brother?”

That stopped Ren on his tracks. One arm already on his jacket, the other trying and failing to tie his shoelaces while balancing the phone between his shoulder and his ear, he stood very, very still.

Oh _. Oh.  _ That's what had sound so familiar. That sigh had been the Larios Rosé's trade mark disappointed-but-not-surprised sigh. Maybe it was not an original Larios thing, but a Rosé thing. He hadn't heard it in so long he had almost forgotten how it sounded.

Of course, Pei could tell the second it happened that something not so taki-taki rumba was going on. She was looking at him with her worried sister look now.

“You still there?” Came the voice of Larios’ brother. Now that he knew who it was he couldn't help but think it didn't sound anything like Larios.

“... Yeah,” it came out so quick he almost messed the words “yes, I'm here. I just don't get what's going on? We broke up months ago, so if you wanted to beat me up for breaking your little brother's heart you are kinda late, man.”

Ren was trying really hard not to look at Pei now, because there was no way she didn’t know what they were talking about. He really didn't need their bi-weekly Friday afternoon call to turn into another Larios Rosé pity fest, thank you.

“What? No, that's not– look, I saw you failed the ordinary physics exam. Again. And I wanted you come to my office so we could review the test. I know being on a third enrollment is hard, so just come to my office, okay? Now.” He spilled the information so fast Ren had trouble understanding him, and he just mumbled a quiet  _ what _ while Erasmo kept talking. “No time like right now, so I will wait for you. It won't take you long, maybe twenty minutes. Okay, see you.”

And he hanged up. Just like that. Ren stood up, looking at the black screen of his phone in disbelief. 

_ What the fuck had just happened _ .

He unmutted Pei. It seemed Ehrenda was going to get herself to the club on her own tonight.

“Who–”

“So my ex's brother, who I have seen like once in my life, somehow found my number. He decided to call me non-stop the whole day and turns out he wants me to go to his office and talk about my future. What's the weirdest thing that has happened to you today, Pei? Because I'm pretty sure I just topped it.”

-0-

He was in front of the door, and he really didn't want to go in. 

Luckily Ren hadn't seen any of his actual professors, thank The Lives, but he was still tense like a string. He had gone through enough physics teachers through the years to feel liike he knew the whole department. And still, he was pretty sure the only time he had seen Erasmo Rosé was at that Christmas dinner at Larios’ home a few months ago. The world really was wild. 

He couldn't remember if he had even talked to the guy. He remembered Eri and Fer, Larios’ mothers, but he couldn't even begin to make up Erasmo's face. He had been quiet at the table, and Ren hadn't paid him much attention, the Rosé mothers far too entertaining to ignore. Maybe he should have tried to get on well with him, though. 

Larios has often talked about his brother, but Ren had never been too interested. The guy had always seemed a boring, preppy academic guy, going off by Larios’ description. His ex had sounded proud of his brother for that, but that had never been Ren's preferred company. Larios was preppy and academic too, but he was actually fun under all of that. It had been part of the sexy appeal of him, Ren supposed, that he only needed to unravel a bit. Erasmo Rosé, on the other hand, had been so utterly boring Ren could only think about how much he wasn't like his brother when he saw him.

Ren took a deep breath, knowing he shouldn't be thinking about Larios at all. That was long gone anyway, and if he had to go as far as to fuck his brother to get a pass in physics, he goddamned would. 

_ Ok,  _ he thought, cracking his neck a bit as if getting ready for a race.  _ Let's do this. Tentudia's siren about to charm his way into that five-dot-thank-you. _

The door opened with a loud whimper before he could move, and he was met with Erasmo Rosé in the flesh before he could properly load his charm.

“Oh, there you are. Fantastic. I was beginning to think I would have to send somebody to get you. Come on in.”

He was… shorter that he remembered. Ren stood in the door dumbstruck for a second. He kind of remembered Larios’ older brother now, but he had forgotten that he was shorter than Larios, who had already been shorter than Ren. It a bit underwhelming, really. He had been expecting someone more intimidating. Taller, because of the big brother things and all.

But Erasmo's resemblance to his brother ended on the height. They brothers couldn't look more different if they tried, really. The hair was different,  their faces too. Even way Erasmo moved around the room as he approached his desk was so different from Larios it threw Ren off a bit. He really had forgotten Erasmo Rosé almost as he saw him. 

But he had remembered the scar very well. Ren tended to remember scars really well, after his own incident. And Erasmo's scar, all across his left eye and down his face, he remembered. It looked redder up close, and Ren felt a hint on sympathy for the dude. He had been lucky enough to get his on the side of his head, but Erasmo had all his face marked. That had to be at least somewhat mortifying.

“Go on, sit down. We have a lot to talk about.”

Erasmo pointed him to a chair right across his desk as he took a sit in a big, black one behind it. The table was filled with papers, with a small section for crystals and rocks. Erasmo had a big computer and a laptop on, both filled with numbers  to the brim. Ren had no clue what half of the stuff on the desk was for, to be honest.

The whole room was a mess, now that he looked around. As if a storm had passed right before Ren had gotten in.

He sat down, careful not to touch anything. If he was gonna charm his way through this he needed Erasmo to be pleased with his behavior. And not breaking any of his things seemed to be a nice start.

The silence in the room was a but too strong, as they looked at each other for a bit. Erasmo was just sitting there, dressed on dark clothes with matching dark circles under his eyes. He didn't look tired, but something was a little bit off with him. Ren wasn't sure if he was supposed to start talking, but he had not idea what Erasmo wanted. Once he knew, thought, that physics pass was going to be his.

“So,” Erasmo began. He was playing with one of his rings, a big one in the shape of a skull, Ren noticed. He looked strangely composed, the same way people looked when they didn't really want to have a conversation but where decided to endure it. Not the best mood to persuade anyone in. Well, he was ready for a challenge.

“I guess you have seen you marks by now. Physics, especially.”

With a fluid motion he took a paper out of his messy desk, and gave it to Ren. He took it, not sure what Erasmo was expecting him to do, exactly. There in the page, surrounded by others, was his name, highlighted in an eye-catching pink color. The word ‘Failed’ right next to his name stung more than he had thought it would. Ren felt himself smile, his lips so tight he wasn't sure if it was an actual smile or a grimace of disgust.

“Very pretty.” The bitchy remark was out before he could stop himself. “Pink really brings out my eyes.” 

Erasmo's response was to lift one brow, almost imperceptibly. He was staring at Ren as if he already regretted ever calling him over. He looked taller sitting down on that chair, almost looming over Ren as if from a cheap Ikea throne. He wondered if maybe the chair had a lift up button. Maybe Erasmo liked to feel taller when talking to his failing students, who surely were all way taller than him. The list was taken from Ren's hands in a heartbeat.

“I won't sugar code it. This is bad.” Erasmo said, carefully folding the paper in three neat folds, and getting it back to the pile he had got it from. “The prices go up each year, and you might even face expulsion if you waste another year. This University takes its reputation really seriously, Ren. If you keep dragging this subject some professors might start to ask for your expulsion in a couple years.”

Yeah, that stung even worse that his mark. He knew his situation was bad, his friends never stopped talking about it. Still, it was worse hearing the bad news from a professor. That felt so real Ren felt like crawling out of his own skin. He had money to keep his place at the UAM, the thing was the university might stop wanting him and his money one of these days. And that would mean going back to Estrema for him.

He really didn't want that. Not yet, not permanently, at least.

Erasmo was still talking, but Ren was too busy trying not to show distress to really pay any attention.

“So here is the thing. My brother has a new boyfriend. I want you to break them up.”

_ That _ caught his attention.

“What?”

Erasmo blinked at him, apparently not understanding how Ren was having a bit of trouble linking their previous conversation to breaking his exe's apparently new relationship. He was starting to look uncomfortable, eyes shifting everywhere and hands busy with his rings. Not exactly distressed, but visibly confronted. Erasmo looked around, as if the ghosts of his roomba could explain the thing to Ren instead of him.

“You know, I need you to… break them up. I don't think they are right for each other. He is going to bring him to meet the family and I–”

“No, I mean, what? Larios’ new boyfriend,” Ren couldn't believe it kinda hurt to say those words. He was over Larios, but damn. It hadn't even been three months since their breakup and Larios’ was already bringing another guy home. Had he never ever heard of letting the corpse get cold? Ouch. “he is not of your licking, okay. What does this have to do with anything?”

That seemed to make sense to Erasmo. His shifting stopped, his eyes got piercing. Pushing some of his jet-black hair behind his ear he made a small sound in the back of his throat. He looked focused, and Ren really didn't understand this guy.  Erasmo leaned in, his palms up as a priest, and a small but sly smile on his face. 

“Well, if you break them up I will make sure you pass this course on September.”

That... that was unexpected. Ren stared at the professor in front of him, his mind still trying to wrap around the whole thing. This was for sure the weirdest conversation he had ever had. He barely knew Erasmo at all. But if there was a thing Ren Aedus was, that was an opportunist. And he knew an good opportunity when he saw one. 

Larios’ face came to his mind, and he buried the small feeling of guilt that was beginning to form in the back of his mind. Yeah, he was ok with being an asshole to his ex just to pass a course, so what? A boy had to eat.

“Okay, what do you want me to do, exactly? Because I'm not about to try and convince Larios to get back with me. That is not gonna happen, I'm telling you.”

Erasmo just smiled tan him, and maybe Ren had been to quick to judge Erasmo, because right now he looked so much like Larios it was uncanny. The barely concealed smug expression of the cat that got the milk that Larios used to wear when something that had troubled him for some time turned out exactly as he wanted it to, hanged from Erasmo's lips. Maybe that too was a Rosé thing.

“Oh, don't worry about that. I have it all thought out. We just need to make the lovebirds reach a point where their new found love gets tore apart by fights and trouble in paradise. You only need to be around Larios for you two irritate him enough to take it out on the new guy. I'm sure it won't be a difficult task. Just be yourself.”

That was a bit of an insult, and maybe Ren would have felt offended if he didn't know exactly what Erasmo was talking about. Larios and him had a bit of a well earned reputation of getting into each other's nerves. Most people couldn't understand how they had started dating to begin with. It was a good plan, Ren was sure he could make Larios crawl up the wall of any room in anger if he really tried. 

The problem was, he was sure Larios wouldn't get anywhere near Ren ever, if he could. He had been avoiding him for months, and had blocked him from all of his social media, so Ren really wasn't sure how ‘piss off your ex until he breaks up with his boyfriend’ was going to work if said ex had literally yeeted Ren's existence from his life.  

“A'righ, that sounds like a plan, but I think we are forgetting one tiny, whinny detail.” He started, lying back on the chair crossing his arms. “Larios hates me. I could follow him around the city screaming at him for a couple of days, sure, but he would eventually turn around and either call the cops on me or knock my teeth out. Or both. Or maybe his boyfriend would. I'm not ready to die for my stalker, sorry”

Erasmo made a face at the word, but apparently decided to let it go in favor of pushing Ren into getting on board with the plan. He bit his lip a little, as if  _ this _ was the part of the conversation he really didn't want to get to.

“No, we can't have you harassing him out of the blue. We need him to be forced to be around you and try and be civil about it, in a situation he can't just make you leave or leave himself. I call it the pressure cooker method.” Ren was actually impressed. The dude really had put a lot of thought on how to break his brother's relationship. Sure, it wasn't a good thing, but Ren could appreciate a well thought out plan. He personally usually lacked those. “So, I decided that you and I are going to pretend to be dating, and you are going to come to my family's Independence Day party.”

He said it so casually Ren didn't even think any of it at first. When the idea finally got to him, he choked on air. 

“You and I what?!” 

“It's perfect, you only have to show up for a few days and I will say we are dating, so Larios won't be able to kick you out. You already know our mothers, and they even invited you to come to the celebrations before, well,” Erasmo waved his hand around as if a simple hand gesture could really summarize the sheer drama of his and Larios’ relationship going to hell “you know.”

The worst thing was that maybe,  _ maybe, _ that could work. Larios couldn't just kick him out if he was Erasmo's plus one, right? They technically went to the same university, so they could have met again somewhere, he supposed. If Erasmo ever left the room, which Ren wasn't so sure about. And Brahlia's Independence Day was only a few weeks away. Larios’ relationship would be new enough that a lil’ ol’ Ren magic could twist Larios’ mood badly, to reveal his inner bitch to his new, loving boyfriend. 

Erasmo's smile was getting larger and sharper by the second. Ren guessed his interest was evident. This looked a lot like those old gangster films, the evil top dog getting a new innocent boy to be his henchmen for his new evil master plan.  Although Ren wasn't really innocent in this scenario, but that wasn't the important here.

There was only one thing missing in this whole thing. One little thing that just didn't make sense.

“Okay, I'll do it.” Erasmo toyed around with his ring again, so self-satisfied he look right about to melt into his chair. “If you tell why you really want to do this. No one's buying the 'i don't like him, so he has to go’. I'm pretty sure you didn't like me either and you never send anyone to take me out of the way.”

Erasmo got tense out of nowhere. He tried to control it as soon as he flinched, but Ren saw what he was looking for.  Ah, yes, something was out of place here. Ren congratulated himself. He really was a sharp one when he tried.

“If you don't tell me the truth there's no pact. Or maybe they will be, but I won't shut up about this until you tell me the truth. So you might as well just spill it now instead and save us both some time.”

Erasmo considered him. Of course he did, that was the strategy Ren  _ always _ used on Larios. His ex hated when Ren just wouldn't let a thing go, and apparently his brother was just the same.

“C'mon. Tell me. Tell me. Just tell me.”

“That's absurd I–”

“Tell me.”

“This is childish, stop that.”

“Tell me. Tell me. Tellmetellmetellme.”

“Ren, I'm serious this is not a stupid game…”

“I wanna know why you're lying, lying liar who lies.” Ren got comfortable in his chair, ready to not shut up in the next hours if necessary. Erasmo wanted his services on annoying Rosé's? Well, Ren was an expert on that.

“I just wanna know, tell me, just say it like how bad can it be. Tell meee. Tellmetellm–”

“OKAY, JUST SHUT UP.” Erasmo threw his hands up just to hide his face behind them right after. He stood there quietly for a moment, and just as Ren was going to start again, he finally answered. “I… I like the boyfriend, okay? Larios’ boyfriend. That's why I want them to break up. Happy now?”

Well damn. He knew Larios, and he knew what his type was. But, did Erasmo have that same taste in men? 

Maybe he had misjudged Erasmo Rosé. He might not be so that absolutely boring after all.

“And that only took,” Ren checked his phone “thirty two seconds. Good old child tantrum. It always gets you, Rosés.”

Erasmo took his hands from his face, exasperated. And maybe, just maybe, a tiny bit impressed.

“You  _ are  _ good at that.”

“And I can be all yours for the very cheap price of my pass in physics, stalker.”

  
  
  


-0-

  
  



End file.
